Dataset Information

High copy number of ovine gammaherpesvirus 2 DNA associated with malignant catarrhal fever-like syndrome in a lamb.

ABSTRACT: Domestic and wild sheep are the natural reservoirs for ovine gammaherpesvirus 2 (OvHV-2), the causative agent of sheep-associated malignant catarrhal fever (SA-MCF). Virtually all adult sheep are infected with OvHV-2 under natural flock conditions, and infection is normally subclinical. MCF-like clinical signs and typical histologic lesions in sheep have been linked during case investigations at veterinary diagnostic laboratories; however, the confirmation of naturally occurring MCF in sheep is problematic. To date, the assays for detection of OvHV-2-specific antibodies or DNA are usually positive in sheep, regardless of health status, so mere detection of antibodies or the agent is of minimal diagnostic significance in this species. We document herein a naturally occurring MCF case in a 4-mo-old domestic lamb and demonstrate that the affected animal had 100-1,000 times more OvHV-2 copy numbers in tissues than in healthy adult and age-matched sheep. These results indicate that high copy numbers of viral DNA in tissues associated with characteristic lesions can be used to confirm the diagnosis of MCF in sheep.

SUBMITTER: Phillips IL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6505926 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

High copy number of ovine gammaherpesvirus 2 DNA associated with malignant catarrhal fever-like syndrome in a lamb.

Phillips Ida L IL Cunha Cristina W CW Galbraith Dustin D Highland Margaret A MA Bildfell Robert J RJ Li Hong H

Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc 20180406 4

Domestic and wild sheep are the natural reservoirs for ovine gammaherpesvirus 2 (OvHV-2), the causative agent of sheep-associated malignant catarrhal fever (SA-MCF). Virtually all adult sheep are infected with OvHV-2 under natural flock conditions, and infection is normally subclinical. MCF-like clinical signs and typical histologic lesions in sheep have been linked during case investigations at veterinary diagnostic laboratories; however, the confirmation of naturally occurring MCF in sheep is ...[more]

PMID: 29621943

Similar Datasets

Project description:Sheep-associated malignant catarrhal fever (SA-MCF) is a severe, frequently fatal, lymphoproliferative disease that affects a wide variety of ruminants and is caused by ovine gammaherpesvirus 2 (OvHV-2), a member of the MCF virus (MCFV) complex. The typical clinical manifestations of SA-MCF are well known and easily recognized by veterinarians, resulting in clinical diagnosis of MCF when characteristic clinical signs are present. This article describes the findings observed in cattle infected with OvHV-2 but without typical clinical manifestations of SA-MCF. Three calves with episodes of diarrhea before death and a yearling that died suddenly were investigated. Gross alterations were not suggestive of SA-MCF. Histopathology revealed a combination of proliferating vascular lesions (PVLs) and necrotizing vasculitis in three animals (two calves and the yearling); with PVLs being identified only at the carotid rete mirabile of two calves infected with OvHV-2. Additional significant histopathologic lesions included atrophic enteritis, portal lymphocytic hepatitis, interstitial pneumonia, suppurative bacterial bronchopneumonia, and pulmonary hemorrhage. An immunohistochemical assay designed to identify only antigens of MCFV revealed, positive, intralesional, intracytoplasmic immunoreactivity within epithelial cells of multiple tissues of all animals with PVLs. PCR assays amplified OvHV-2 DNA from multiple tissues of the animals that contained MCFV proteins, confirming the MCFV identified as OvHV-2. Additionally, bovine coronavirus (BCoV) nucleic acids were amplified from tissues of all animals, including the animal not infected by OvHV-2. Collectively, these findings confirmed the participation of OvHV-2 in the development of the disease patterns observed in these animals that were concomitantly infected by BCoV and provide additional confirmation that cattle can be subclinically infected with OvHV-2. Consequently, the real occurrence of OvHV-2-related disease may be more elevated than reported, since asymptomatic or subclinically infected animals are not likely to be investigated for OvHV-2. Furthermore, PVLs should be included as possible histologic indicators of OvHV-2-related diseases in ruminants. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42770-021-00653-6.

Project description:Ovine gammaherpesvirus 2 (OvHV-2), a member of the genus Macavirus, causes sheep-associated malignant catarrhal fever (SA-MCF), a fatal lymphoproliferative disease affecting a wide variety of ungulates in addition to horses. This study described an outbreak of SA-MCF in Mexico and the identification of the OvHV-2 virus in primary rabbit testis cultures through the generation of intranuclear inclusion bodies, syncytia, immunofluorescence (IF), immunocytochemistry (ICC), immunohistochemistry (IHC), endpoint polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and partial sequencing of the ORF75 gene. The animals involved in this outbreak showed mucogingival ulcers in the vestibule of the mouth and tongue, hypersalivation, corneal opacity, reduced food consumption, and weight loss of variable severity. These clinical signs and the histopathological findings suggested the diagnosis of SA-MCF. Buffy coat fractions from the anticoagulated blood samples of ill animals were collected and analyzed by PCR. Positive buffy coats were used to inoculate the primary cell cultures of rabbit testis to identify the virus. Small clusters of refractile cytomegalic cells, characteristic of viral cytopathic effects, were observed between 48 and 72 h post-infection. Furthermore, intranuclear acidophilic inclusion bodies (IBs) were identified in the inoculated primary culture cells, and the cytoplasm showed immunoreactivity with hyperimmune rabbit serum against OvHV-2. Moreover, in the liver histological sections from sick deer, immunoreactive juxtanuclear IBs were identified with the same rabbit hyperimmune serum. The obtained sequences were aligned with the OvHV-2 sequences reported in GenBank and revealed a nucleotide identity higher than 98%. Based on the evidence provided in this study, we conclude that the outbreak of SA-MCF in the municipality of Tequisquiapan in the state of Queretaro, Mexico, was caused by OvHV-2. This is the second study reporting that horses are susceptible to OvHV-2 infection and can develop SA-MCF. We identified for the first time in Mexico, the presence of OvHV-2 in buffy coats from horses and Artiodactyla.

Project description:UnlabelledViral semaphorins are semaphorin 7A (sema7A) mimics found in pox- and herpesviruses. Among herpesviruses, semaphorins are encoded by gammaherpesviruses of the Macavirus genus only. Alcelaphine herpesvirus 1 (AlHV-1) is a macavirus that persistently infects wildebeest asymptomatically but induces malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) when transmitted to several species of susceptible ruminants and the rabbit model. MCF is caused by the activation/proliferation of latently infected T lymphocytes. Viral semaphorins have been suggested to mediate immune evasion mechanisms and/or directly alter host T cell function. We studied AlHV-sema, the viral semaphorin encoded by the A3 gene of AlHV-1. Phylogenetic analyses revealed independent acquisition of pox- and herpesvirus semaphorins, suggesting that these proteins might have distinct functions. AlHV-sema showed a predicted three-dimensional structure very similar to sema7A and conserved key residues in sema7A-plexinC1 interaction. Expression analyses revealed that AlHV-sema is a secreted 93-kDa glycoprotein expressed during the early phase of virus replication. Purified AlHV-sema was able to bind to fibroblasts and dendritic cells and induce F-actin condensation and cell retraction through a plexinC1 and Rho/cofilin-dependent mechanism. Cytoskeleton rearrangement was further associated with inhibition of phagocytosis by dendritic cells and migration to the draining lymph node. Next, we generated recombinant viruses and demonstrated that the lack of A3 did not significantly affect virus growth in vitro and did not impair MCF induction and associated lymphoproliferative lesions. In conclusion, AlHV-sema has immune evasion functions through mechanisms similar to poxvirus semaphorin but is not directly involved in host T cell activation during MCF.ImportanceWhereas most poxviruses encode viral semaphorins, semaphorin-like genes have only been identified in few gammaherpesviruses belonging to the Macavirus genus. Alcelaphine herpesvirus 1 (AlHV-1) is a macavirus carried asymptomatically by wildebeest but induces a latency-associated lymphoproliferative disease of T lymphocytes in various ruminant species, namely, malignant catarrhal fever (MCF). Viral semaphorins have been hypothesized to have immune evasion functions and/or be involved in activating latently infected T cells. We present evidence that the viral semaphorin AlHV-sema inhibits dendritic cell phagocytosis and migration to the draining lymph node, both being indispensable mechanisms for protective antiviral responses. Next, we engineered recombinant viruses unable to express AlHV-sema and demonstrated that this protein is dispensable for the induction of MCF. In conclusion, this study suggests that herpesvirus and poxvirus semaphorins have independently evolved similar functions to thwart the immune system of the host while AlHV-sema is not directly involved in MCF-associated T-cell activation.

Dataset Information

High copy number of ovine gammaherpesvirus 2 DNA associated with malignant catarrhal fever-like syndrome in a lamb.

Publications

High copy number of ovine gammaherpesvirus 2 DNA associated with malignant catarrhal fever-like syndrome in a lamb.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets